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<title>It's Never Sunny in Barovia by walrusgrendel</title>
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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28327578">It's Never Sunny in Barovia</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/walrusgrendel/pseuds/walrusgrendel'>walrusgrendel</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Dungeons &amp; Dragons (Roleplaying Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Curse of Strahd, Gen, Pre-Canon</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 17:47:55</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>518</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28327578</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/walrusgrendel/pseuds/walrusgrendel</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Series of short one-shots about various curse of strahd characters. Some major changes to some characters made and explained in chapter notes.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Ismark</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The road was dark and winding, but the black carriage moved as smoothly as though across the surface of a pool. Ismark shifted, swinging his legs back and forth where they stopped short of the floor. His father caught sight of his fidgeting and shot him a warning glance that made him stop dead.</p><p>It had taken weeks of persuasion to get Ismark to agree to go with his father to deliver the year’s taxes to Ravenloft but, as Kolyan had reminded him, Ismark would be Burgomaster one day and this grim responsibility would fall to him. Ireena had shoved her symbol of the Morninglord into his palm as he was led out of the door to the waiting carriage, clear worry painted across her face. She was only seven but even she had heard the stories about the Lord of Barovia.</p><p> </p><p><em>We’re invited guests. We’re fine. </em>Ismark kept reminding himself, clutching the symbol so hard that the cool metal dug into his flesh, <em>It won’t be scary. It’ll be boring. There’s nothing to be afraid of.</em></p><p>
  
</p><p>The words sounded hollow and foolish; even in the sanctuary of his own mind.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Changes:<br/>Ismark is only 3 years older than Ireena as Ireena's Vallaki plot is changed. Chapter takes place 11 years pre-campaign and Strahd does not meet Ireena until shortly beforehand.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Victoria</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>She was twelve when she found the book.</p><p>Victoria’s mother had never truly paid that much attention to her daughter, but even she could not help but see that the child had outgrown the bedroom she had been raised in. Months of pleading gave her the attic- a perfect nest, hidden away up a ladder. Out of sight. Ideal for the girl who was so often out of mind.</p><p> </p><p>There were a few trinkets in the dusty space already, although neither her father nor her father’s father had used it for much of anything. A cracked mirror loomed up in the corner, an empty bookshelf looked set to topple over, and a pile of discarded treasures dominated a spot just beneath a window.</p><p>It was in that pile she found the tome. It was heavy, almost too much for a frail pair of wrists, and bound in crimson leather. If she had been from any other family, she might have thrown the pages wide open and read but that symbol on the front…</p><p>A black raven, soaring high.</p><p>She was old enough to know what that meant; <em>who</em> that meant.</p><p>Victoria kept the book closed for the rest of the evening but over the week, she found herself stealing glances. On occasion, she even dared lift the front cover and look at the elegant writing behind it. Her patience finally broke about a fortnight after she first saw it and she cautiously began to flick through the yellowing pages.</p><p>She stopped.</p><p>Past the writings about his life, Strahd had left notes- records of his earliest experiments with magic. Victoria let the tome fall open on her lap and squinted at some of the words. She mouthed along with those she could understand and ran her finger along those she could not.</p><p><em>She could learn magic</em>.</p><p>Just as long as this stayed safe and secret up in the attic.</p><p>After all, no one knew it was there.</p><p>
  <em>Right?</em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Changes: <br/>gender changed. In the game, Victoria is the party's ally and the tome of strahd was in the burgomaster's attic. combined the spellbook from the vallaki chapter with the tome.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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